“He got laid for the first time in his life. It really was a can’t be missed opportunity.” Jin explained as Rie burst out coughing furiously.

“Excuse me?”

“You misheard. It was always me who was coming to pick you up.” She made a small face of understanding as they sped on the highway and Rie wondered why all the men in the world loved speeding. Jin was pushing 180…last night Toma had been at a constant 200 the entire way to her home and god knew Mukai was constantly teasing her when they got home late from wherever they were by swerving to scare her.

“So where are we going?”

Jin smiled as he kept his hands glued as they took the exit up leading to a part of the city that Rie that looked completely shut down. It was stocked with huge large storage containers. The entire place was dead…and Rie wouldn’t be surprised to know if it was all just a big yakuza dump for all the shit they didn’t take care of. But even Toma wouldn’t be that stupid to take her to their hideout already. “Do you really want to know?”

He switched gears slowing down as they entered a lot and Rie shrugged. “I guess not…”

“Your translations were clear by the way. Thank you. Without them I wouldn’t have been able to complete my portion of this job.” He brought the car into park and Rie suddenly wished she hadn’t worn heels.

He unbuckled himself and Rie followed suit as they walked out and entered one of the closest warehouses. As soon as they came in it was obvious a group of guys were standing clustered together. Rie immediately recognized one of them as Toma, and the other as Jun. The others looked somewhat unfamiliar to her but one of them seemed incredibly familiar as one of the Korean boys Wana had pointed out.

“She’s here.” Jun leaned over to tell Toma and he looked up nodding towards Jin and turning to look at Rie who had for some reason started feeling sick herself at the thought of what she was about to take part in. This was unforgivable.

But how else was she going to prove herself? The only way to gain their trust was doing wrong.

Would her government understand that? “Thanks Jin.” He agreed and Jin only nodded weakly.

“Are the Colombians here yet?” Toma shook his head in response as he got ready to say whatever he’d meant to say to the group of them when he glanced downwards towards Rie’s feet and raised his eyebrows but kept his mouth shut.

How was she supposed to know she was going on a field trip with them today?

“This is a very general logistics meeting. We’re going to be arranging the financial matters of the shipment and agree on a bunch of details that you guys shouldn’t care about. If I could have gone to this meeting alone I would have but I don’t trust these guys. Neither should you guys. We’re partners I business. Not in relation. Please be safe today.” He finished looking around the circle at everyone. Jun nodded as he put in his own words looking back and forth between everyone.

“No one is allowed to bring guns out from our side first. However I’d just like to make sure with a show of hands that if necessary everyone is well equipped right?” As the hands went up in the circle Rie felt Jun’s eyes land on her and he looked towards Toma who rolled his eyes and tossed her a pocket knife. Jun looked at him as if he was shocked she wasn’t getting a more destructive device.

“I still don’t trust her. Whose to say she won’t use the gun to turn on us.” Toma bit out looking at her as his head turned away scoffing as if he still couldn’t quite believe she had wormed her way into their entire group so easily. Rie rolled her eyes as she grew tired of the way he distrusted her. Seriously if he ever found a girl there was no way he would be able to woo her with anything. He had no charm whatsoever and he had no idea how to speak to females.

Nevertheless she decided to put on a little show for him as she threw the knife up in the air and flipped it over catching it with her back hand and bringing it up in front of her again. “I don’t need anything else.” She assured Jun looking onto him with kind eyes as Jun shook his head and pulled her between Toma and himself.

“You stay beside Toma and I. We’re going to be the ones doing the talking anyways and you'll need to translate for us.” She stood quietly beside them nodding. As the rest of the group got lost in conversation with one another and she turned to Toma quickly asking him.

“There’s not going to be any shoot outs right?” She couldn’t get involved in one. Not only would she be unable to keep her cover, she would have to fight on the side of these guys. It would be detrimental to her mind and her career.

“That only happens in dramas.” Toma snickered looking at her as if he couldn’t quite believe she’d actually asked him that as she felt him look down again at her feet and she grew self-conscious. “Why are you scared?” When he did ask her this, his voice grew serious and she couldn’t help but feel her feet ache in her short heels automatically but it was probably psychological as she shifted from side to side.

Still in a moment of staggering honesty Rie nodded as she looked up at him somewhat letting the fear grow apparent on her face.

Before she knew what had happened she felt Toma’s hands wrap tightly around her arm and steady her so that she couldn’t move without awkwardly moving around his grip on her and worming out of it. He bent his face down towards her ear and even if his words were laced with venom his whisper made her shiver down her spine. “If you fall on me today I’ll fucking kill you. So stay still…if anything goes down tonight Jun and I’ll protect you. We have Sig Sauers on us. I have an extra I’ll give you later if it gets drastic. Other than that stay still in those freaking things.” Then as if he realized who he was talking to his arm dropped and Rie gulped weakly as she shifted from him putting distance between them as he questioned her again. “Do you know how to work a gun?”

Rie wasn’t sure if she should answer honestly so she simply shrugged and turned to look away so that he wouldn’t be able to tell she wasn’t really answering him. “How hard can it be?”

“I saw the show with the little dagger.” She wasn't sure but she thought the smile on his face was mocking her.

“I used to be something of a juggler.” She settled ending his suspicion she hoped and Jun whacked her arm as the door letting them all in opened again to let her know they were on.

She couldn’t control the fact her entire body felt like it was shaking in anticipation and to calm herself down she unwillingly squeezed Toma’s arm beside her and felt the strangest sensation of calm come upon her when he turned to look at her and whispered into her ear.

“Trust me…it’ll be okay.” She blinked shaking out the fear from her eyes as she stared at the group walking steadily towards them as she was struck with another fearful epiphany.

As he held on harder she realized he was not going to let her go tonight. He was going to keep her right here beside him, keep her safe. Right now…she did trust him. She believed him, that he'd keep her safe.

And that was scarier than anything that could go down here in the warehouse.

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“So they’ll be coming through soon then. Are you guys ready? We’re just taking care of the delivery.” The Spanish man was surprisingly fluent in Japanese. Every once in a while he would look to her and ask her for a translation for a word but that was really all.

Toma seemed to not even take a note of her as she stood in the background as they discussed the business. “We will have the arrangements prepared. You just worry about getting the merchandise in the country and past the border guards.”

“We have that worked out.” He tilted his head upwards and Rie knew if somehow she managed to speak and ask what port they were docking in she would look suspicious so she kept her mouth shut and continued looking downward. “So that’s it then. Till we must meet again.”

The details of this entire operation were kept so undercover that Rie couldn’t help but hate it. It felt like the henchmen around her didn’t even know and honestly if she was actually an employee for them she would have felt slighted. Toma didn’t trust anyone did he?

She stood up to take her leave when the Spanish man looked to her and called out in Spanish so none of the others would understand their conversation. “Would you like to come home with me instead of him?” He indicated his head towards Toma and Rie simply smiled and shook her head.

“It was a pleasure doing business with you too.” She bowed low and as she raised her head she couldn’t help but note the way Jun cheekily smiled at her and came up and kissed her shoulder.

“We have to leave now…” Jun spoke out in English grabbing her by the waist as Toma scoffed turning away from the two of them as the Spanish man simply shrugged and walked away with his troupe.

Rie didn’t doubt that he had a million better girls in his apartment waiting to be with him anyways. With better figures than hers. Part of the reason she felt she was getting so much attention was because she was the girl brought into this circle. The only one. It wasn’t that she was exceptionally beautiful, or that she was smarter than everyone else…just that she was the only option and Jun laughed as he looked at her. “Got him good didn’t we? I just didn’t want you getting whisked away to Colombia after this operation.”

“I could have been a drug queen if it wasn’t for you.” She joked smacking him in his side as he let her go and they laughed together. Jun yelled at her but he played with her just as much.

They were leaving the warehouse as they all looked towards each other decidedly happy that none of them had to pull out guns today. Seung Hyun was even going partying with Alejandro one of the Colombians who stayed back. They were coming to Tryst so he could show the South American that the only people that they weren’t the only people who knew how to get down and rumba.

“No guns today.” She smiled as Jun and her walked side by side towards the doors.

“No guns. Aren’t you relieved?” Jun agreed happily as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder guiding her towards his car, unaware that Toma who had stayed back to speak quickly and privately with Jin turned his head towards the pair of them.

“I can’t say I’m not.” She nodded moving out from under his arms smiling politely as she bowed. “In my profession…I guess I’m not used to it much?” She had to keep her guard up and act as a translator.

“No our bartenders just get assaulted physically…they never assault anyone themselves.” Jun laughed and Rie had to slap his arm. He cleared his throat as they approached the parking lot and Jun let a small sigh as he stopped and turned towards her. “Do you want a ride home?”

Rie wasn’t sure how well Mukai or Toma would react to the idea of Jun driving her home. He was fun to hang out with but she so clearly remembered their conversations from last night and she knew reflexively it had quite a bit to do with his attraction to her. “Are you just talking about a ride here?”

“Wouldn’t you like to come on one with me?” He pouted as Seung Hyun punched his shoulder and walked away to his own car and Jun yelled a loud good bye to the Korean.

“She has work to do with me.” When he’d come up behind her she wasn’t even sure but with the look Toma was throwing Jun it seemed apparent enough that at least for today he wasn’t letting her go anywhere with Jun. He kept his hands to himself but the way he looked at Rie made sure that she had no other alternative but to follow him silently as she shrugged.

“The boss said I have work.” She sighed dramatically and Jun dramatically leaned back on his car seeming forlorn. Rie couldn’t help but giggle at his antics even though she knew she shouldn’t encourage behavior like that from him. He straightened up laughing as he opened the doors to his car slipping in.

“Another time then…I promise I’ll take you home one day.” He winked at her and Rie nodded banging fists with him.

Toma felt the need to interrupt their conversation as he pushed Rie to the side and leaned over Jun’s window looking into the car shaking his head. “You know…I can’t help but feel as if Mao won’t appreciate your behavior.”

Rie furrowed her eyebrows as she struggled to think…this was a new player in the court. She had never heard of Mao before today.

“Neither will DEAR Talia appreciate yours. I was actually offering her a ride home Toma. God only knows what you and Christine do behind Tali's back.” Jun bit back just as quickly giving Rie a quick nod as he shut his window and zoomed away in his black Lamborghini.

There it was again. Rie couldn’t help but feel just a little upset with herself.

She wasn’t sure why but she was upset. She knew that Christine and Toma were in a relationship but it seemed shrouded in so much more. So much she really didn’t need to know because her mission was about getting the knowledge about the shipment and getting out but she couldn’t help but be intrigued.

It felt kind of like her own personal mission…but she shook that thought out of her head as she took a deep breath as they walked towards Toma’s car.

“So…work to do huh.” Toma looked at her furrowing his eyebrows that she had actually attempted conversation with him before rolling his eyes and walking faster so that they didn’t have to talk to each other.

“What a jerk.” She muttered loudly knowing he could hear but didn’t seem to see any reaction from him so she walked on behind him keeping her distance. Seriously this guy was so tempermental. He needed to learn how to chill out.

“We have to make a pit stop first before I drop you home.”

“Is that it for tonight then?” She questioned back her feet in her heels trudging along like a trooper when she tripped and fell straight on his back and when he turned around to look at her, she gave him a foolish smile.“Gomen Nasaii.” She stood up straighter bowing when he started to look aggravated with her.

“Why do you do it?”

“Do what?”

“They’re not sexy on you, you know.” He insisted shaking his head. “I mean Wana and Daisy can pull it off because they’ve practiced but you’re obviously not comfortable enough. It’s not like there’s some demented rule at Tryst where we like to torture you guys this way.”

“What?!” What on earth was he talking about? The only thing she could think about Wana and Daisy having in common was their secret-awkward loves with Jin and Sho.

Toma cleared up that doubt when he kicked her feet with his lightly and she couldn’t help but fumble at the gesture. It reminded her just for a second of Mukai. “Heels. It’s not sexy if a girl keeps falling in them. Stop wearing them.” She raised her eyebrows in response.

“Fine. I’ll stop wearing them don’t get your panties in a twist.” She stalked ahead of him and opened the door of the last car in the lot which was an ash colored Ferrari and banged it shut roughly. How could he tell her they’re not sexy on her? How dare he even decide to try and tell her what to wear? Was he her boyfriend? Sure she wasn’t as graceful as the others in them but seriously. Who the hell was he in the end? She felt him get in and shut the door extra slow as if to purposefully make a point.

“Just because you’re mad at me doesn’t mean you can wreck my car. You’ll have to pay for anything out of your pay you know.” If only he knew how much she didn’t need the money she simply put on her seat belt and turned the radio on.

“Where are we going?”

“I need to do something stupid.” His reply was candid and she could only furrow her eyebrows.

“Can’t you drop me off first?”

“You’re out of the way for me. So you can just stay in the car if you want.” He sighed deeply and she couldn’t help but wish he’d let her go with Jun. What the hell was she going to do in his car ?

“How long is it going to take?”

“However long I need it to.”

“Which means a while.”

“If you talk any longer and annoy me…yeah. I’ll have a lot more to think about.” She swore she saw a hint of a smile on his face and she rolled her eyes settling into her seat listening to the radio as she shut her eyes and felt a small slumber come over her.

If she wasn’t getting home anytime soon she might as well try and sleep a little right?

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Author's Chapter End Notes

Next chapter coming up super soon =) Thank you for reading =D Please review and comment if you have time.

P.S. I hope you all like the poster =D it was super quick to do. Toma's hair looks so choppy T.T i tried to fix that but it totally didn't work as well as it should have.

Disclaimer

The celebrities' names/images are merely borrowed and do not represent who the celebrities are in real life. No offense is intended towards them, their families or friends. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this fictional work. No copyright infringement is intended.

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